The Aftermath
by Doublecrossed94
Summary: A collection of One shots. Stories of what they have been after 7 years from the Lighthalzen Tragedy.
1. Laurell's Anguish

**Laurell's Anguish**

**Authored by:** Doublecrossed94

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own neither Ragnarok Online nor the characters of this fanfic. I only own my plot.

More details of change below and in my homepage. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

* * *

"I speak"

"_I thought a flashback"_

'_I think'_

* * *

The night sky looked beautiful with the stars hunged like curtains.

On a cliff of Mt. Mjolnir, a redhead wizard stood there. He looked at the sky with a blank face. The winds hit his face weakly. His crimson red eyes suddenly dropped a tear.

He turned and walked away from the place.

* * *

He walked through the woods silently, the grass he steps on making the only sound.

_Laurell smiled at the swordswoman in front of him._

"_Look Laurell! I am now a swordswoman!" cried a blue haired girl happily at him._

_They were at the same cliff, the cliff had a beautiful view of the sunset every afternoon, Laurell discovered this place and showed it to his friend._

* * *

More tears flowed from his eyes; he silently scolded himself for crying like this.

"_Laurell! You wait for me to become a knight before you become a wizard!" the same girl pouted at Laurell. He merely chuckled._

"_Of course I will wait for you."_

_She smiled, "You better."_

* * *

"Why am I crying like this?" the wizard laughed as he passed by the mines. He found a diamond on the ground.

He picked up the diamond and sobbed.

"_Hey Laurell! Why don't we try digging here in the mines?" the swordswoman asked the mage with a glee._

"_No! It's dangerous there!" Laurell reprimanded the swordswoman by tapping her head with his wand._

"_If not, then you buy me a diamond!" the girl demanded with a sheepish smile on her face._

"_I'll buy you when it's your birthday," the redhead calmly replied. The swordswoman smiled._

"_You better."_

* * *

'_Sorry, I forgot to buy you,'_ Laurell sobbed as he continued to walk through the forest.

'_I'm sorry that I let you down.'_

Laurell is almost near Prontera, but he saw a familiar figure of a swordswoman. The swordswoman turned and looked at him with her dull empty eyes. Laurell's eyes widened.

"E-E-Egni-Egninem," he stammered as the ghost of the swordswoman he knew pointed her sword at him.

"_No! Don't separate me with Laurell!" the swordswoman crying voice came as some of the laboratory personel took her away from their prison cell._

"_Egninem! Please don't take her away!" Laurell pleaded at the guards that guarded their cell._

"_Shut up brat, she will just take the test just as what you did," the guards sternly brought down his plead._

"_No, please, bring her back," Laurell cried at his cell as Egninem's cry faded away._

"_We don't give a damn for brats you see," a guard hissed at him with hate._

* * *

The ghost of the swordswoman charged towards him, he guarded himself with his safety wall.

"Egninem! Please! Listen to me!" he pleaded to the ghost of Egninem.

He did not know her. He liked her.

_Egninem returned to their cell, crying._

"_Egninem! Are you alright?" he asked with all concern on his voice._

_She nodded between her sobs, "Laurell, please don't leave me again."_

_He calmed her down, "Of course I won't."_

_He kissed her forehead gently._

* * *

The wall between the ghost and Laurell started to break. Laurell continued to plead but the ghost continued to attack the wall.

"Please, Egninem! I don't want to kill you!" he pleaded, he cried. However, she never listened. He fell to his knees.

He did not like her. He cherished her.

_A loud explosion came, clones of different people, including Laurell's and Egninem's, started to loiter around the laboratory. There was blood and killing everywhere. Laurell and Egninem started to escape from the massacre._

"_Don't look back!" Laurell ordered the swordswoman. She grabbed his hand to follow him as the whole laboratory was thrown into chaos._

_Then, Egninem tripped at the floor, Laurell looked back. A clone of the high witch stood before him._

_He tried to fight but the witch threw him with her spell. He hit the wall._

"_Egninem! Egninem!" he cried out as tears fell down at his cheeks. He started to move in towards the chaos when a lord knight stopped him by holding him at his wrist. The lord knight shook his head._

"_No! I must find Egninem!" Laurell cried at the lord knight._

_The lord knight shook his head, "I'm sorry, but we don't have any choice."_

"_But, but—"_

"_I lost my companions here, and I don't want to see more innocent die," he said grimly._

"_But, Egninem ne—"_

"_Please! I do not want anymore innocent to die! I already lost all my friends!" he shouted, with a hint of sadness at his stern voice. Laurell fell silent._

_They exited the laboratory and were rescued by the rescuers._

* * *

The wall of broke down into crumbling pieces, he looked up and gave his final plead. However, she never listened. The sword will be hitting him at any second.

"_There were no more survivors," a rescuer reported to them after the days of the incident._

"_No! That can't be true!" Laurell broke down into tears. The lord knight tried to calm him down._

"_I'm sorry."_

'_I'm sorry.'_

The ghost fell to the ground, crumpled and dead. Laurell looked up. What he saw was the familiar lock of blue hair that he will never forget in his life.

"Egninem?" he asked weakly. She nodded

"I've missed 7 years without you," she smiled; tears welled up in her eyes.

"A-a-am I dreaming?" he asked, his voice showed his fear of losing her. She shook her head.

He stood.

He hugged her.

He broke down into tears.

"Y-Y-You're a-a-alive!" he stammered between his sobs. The sadness he had for the past 7 years gone with a single embrace.

He did not cherish her at all. He loved her.

* * *

This is my first time to write like this.

Meh, please check if I have any typos or wrong grammar. I ams kinda not good with it.

EDIT: There are symbolisms here that I will explain the on the next chapter.

I changed the status as a suggestion from a classmate of mine that gave light to me. Yeah, it's all one shots.

Every chapter features different characters found on Somatology Biolaboratory. This fanfic tells of what they have been after 7 years after the incident.

Yeah, you are free to hate me whatsoever. I have no objection with that. Cased closed. More details on homepage.

REALLY SORRY!!


	2. The Journal

**The Journal**

**Authored by: **Doublecrossed94

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own neither Ragnarok Online nor the characters on this fanfic. I only own my plot.

* * *

"I speak."

_Journal entry, "Flashback."_

'_I thought.'_

* * *

Scientists that once worked there left the Somatology Biolaboratory. Now, it is completely deserted except of the fact that clones roam inside the abandoned lab.

Of course, adventurers can take the challenge and enter the lab whenever they want.

* * *

Errende on the other hand, sighed deeply. How long was it ever since he saw the sun shine? He looked at the ceiling lamps and decided to stroll around their prison.

He smiled wanly at every clone he sees, whoever clone they maybe. At a point, he passed by a stimulatingly familiar prison cell.

Sensing the nostalgia in the cell, he entered it. Bloodstains were found on the granite floor and the charred cemented wall. He looked around.

When his eyes lay upon the bed, he remembers a vague memory.

"_What are you writing there?" Errende, fully human, asked his prison cell partner Wickebine._

"_Nothing," she quickly hid the item under her pillow._

"_If you say so."_

* * *

The memory was haunting Errende, he shook his head to shake the memory off his head. He sat at her bed and looked under the pillow. He found a rather meticulously designed notebook with the title: "My Journal"

He frowned at it and flipped through the pages. Then, he stopped on a random page and started to read them all.

_Journal Entry_

_Third month of summer, First Day of Moon_

_A weird day for me. Today, I got tired of stealing from merchants and people since they can be easily preyed at since people are just soooo cramped. So I decided to do something fun._

_I went to the church and picked up a stone. I threw it towards a glass window. What I didn't notice was an acolyte tending the garden._

_The stone hit him hard. He looked at me. I ran away from him. I swept my way through the crowds of people until I saw myself standing in front of the old Swordsman Guild._

_I turned and found him there catching his breath. He was clutching the stone I threw. I thought he wanted to hit me back. Therefore, I decided to go inside the building._

_I found myself twisting my ankle. I fell on the pavement. I closed my eyes. I thought he would punish me. I waited, waited, and waited. How long would this punishment take?_

_I just felt a surge of relief. I opened my eyes. I found myself dumbfounded when I saw him healing my ankle._

_I scowled at him but he didn't notice. When he was finished, he returned to me the stone and gave me three words: 'Please stop it.'_

_He stood and was about to merge with the crowd when I asked him his name._

_His name was…_

…_Errende Ebecee._

_From that day and on. I found myself visiting him._

_Truly yours,_

_Wickebine_

* * *

He was taken aback. _'This was the day she… I…'_

"You're here?" a surprised voice came in front of him; he looked at the direction and found Wickebine in front of him.

"Wi-Wickebine," he stammered as he tried to hide the journal.

"You read it," she stated bluntly, her voice dull of any emotion. An awkward silence came.

The silence continued until a clone of the mage Laurell came in.

"Errende Ebecee, Kavach Icarus wants to see you at the main lab," he stated with no trace of emotion at his face.

"Sorry, I've got to go," he said, not knowing what to say to her as he left.

She lifted her head and watched Errende walk away.

"He read it huh? My journal…"

* * *

Errende grumbled. Kavach Icarus gave another dispatch order to him. Definitely, intruders keep entering their prison.

He sat at a bed near the entrance of the lab and ordered his clones to wait until the intruders to get in.

He lay down on the bed and sighed. Will Wickebine just forgive him for what he did? He silently scolded himself.

* * *

Wickebine had been searching for Errende, so she decided to ask Kavach for any news.

When she entered the main lab, the lab looked a complete mess; blood sprawled out everywhere as bodies of clones lay on the floor. Kavach was leaning on the wall and tying his arm with a piece of cloth.

"Kavach!" she ran towards the wounded original and knelt beside him. He looked at her and sighed deeply.

"Go and hurry to the entrance, I am fearing for what happened to Errende," he explained. He gestured to Wickebine to go.

She ran towards the second floor of the lab.

'_That idiot Errende, going to the front lines without telling me,'_ she thought as she ran towards the second floor.

* * *

Errende lay on a pool of blood, weak and dying. He looked at the bodies of the clones around him and sighed. Was this the end? If I die, will I be able to escape our prison?

Thoughts continued to run towards his mind. He heard running towards his direction. He silently hoped that the person would not go to his location. He might be healed back to normal and live again at his eternal prison.

He heard the running stop. Then, a gasp followed it. Wickebine ran towards his side and lifted him to her arms.

"Errende!" she cried, tears were forming at her eyes. He smiled at her weakly as he took his final words.

"Wickebine… this might be… the last time we… would be together," he said. Tears ran at her cheeks.

"No!" she shouted, he coughed.

"Sorry… that I… read your journal," he weakly apologized. A tear dropped at his cheeks.

"Stop it Errende!" she ordered the brown-haired person. He gave an apologizing smile.

"Wickebine… there's something… something I want… you to… read," his breathing became shallower. She gripped his shoulders as tears continued to pour down.

"Please don't waste your—"

"Under my…pillow… there's something… I want you to… read," he reached out to touch the girl's cheeks as life continued to leave him.

"Errende!" she cried out in vain. The acolyte gave a faint smile.

"I… l-l-love… you," the acolyte's reaching hand fell to his chest. Void of life.

"Errende!" she shook his shoulders weakly.

"Errende!" she cried and buried her face at his chest. The acolyte now falls and dies. The soul trapped did not enter to another host but freely left the prison.

* * *

She weakly pulled out a letter under Errende's pillow. She opened it and read the letter.

_Wickebine,_

_If you read this, I may not be in Midgard anymore. I just want to tell you that ever since the moment you hit me with the stone. I fell for you. This past years might be hard for you. Going here then back there and visit me everyday. I just want to thank you for being there for me. I want to say that I loved you from the very moment I saw you._

_Errende Ebecee_

* * *

Tears ran on her cheeks. She cried out. Errende wrote something like this. When did he write this letter?

She sobbed as she dropped the letter Errende left for her. She pulled her knees towards her chest and rested her arms over it. She buried her head on her arms as the sobbing continued.

"Why did you gave this letter just now?!" she cried.

"Why didn't you show up again Errende?" she yelled.

"I thought you love me?!"

* * *

He looked at Wickebine's crying state. His heart broke as she yelled and cried. He just wished he could return to another host but he could not anymore.

'_Why? Why can't I return anymore?'_

'_Why? Why now when I told her I love her?'_

'_Why? Why didn't I tell her earlier?'_

'_You were scared all along.'_

'_I'm sorry Wickebine.'_

His consciousness began to fade as he entered a new world. A new world to live in. A new world without Wickebine.

'_I love you, Wickebine.'_

"I love you, Errende."

* * *

CUUUUUUT!!

Hello there people! I am very very sorry about my classmate who gave the idea of making this. Hehehe…

On behalf of my friend, I, Doublecrossed94, ask for your forgiveness. (Winks)

So… did I write well? Review please!

If you really hate me, just say it. You might end up destroying your own monitor/money. Hehehehe…


	3. Lost Memories

**Lost Memories**

**Authored by:** Doublecrossed94

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ragnarok Online and the characters of this story.

* * *

I looked at the crowds of Prontera; at the children happily running around, at the merchants and their customers, at the knights in patrol.

It was seven years ago when I lost my memory. I wonder what had happened. All I recall is that I woke up near a fire burning the firewood in the middle of the woods.

The one who rescued me goes by the name of Howard Alt – Eisen. He saved a swordswoman and me from some strange accident, according to him by the way.

So now, I lived my life and became a blacksmith. I swore that I will make up for every memory I lost by living my life the way I want it to be.

* * *

I looked around; no customers seemed interested at looking at my wares. I stood and dragged my cart with me.

Since the capitol is full of people, I decided to take myself outside and relax.

I lay down on the grass, looking at the sky with amazement. The sky seemed like there, just there. Right from the beginning, the sky is already there. So maybe if I get to talk with the sky, maybe I would hear what I was before I lost my memory.

I sighed, wishing that could happen. I decided to stroll by the cliff. Poring bouncing happily and Creamies fluttered their wings just cheered me up. The seawater was beating the rocks that stood as the foundation of the cliff.

After my stroll, I decided to go back to business.

After some time, an arrow flew by my face; barely missing my face. I looked at the direction where the arrow came from and what I found was a raven-haired archer.

He didn't actually stand out; he had bloodshot eyes and he didn't even reached my neck. Though this archer seems nostalgic, what he did isn't something to be easily let it slide.

"Sorry," the archer immediately apologized, "I was just hunting a Creamy that teleported when I flung the arrow."

I decided to let this one slip away. I smiled at him weakly and said that he won't have to worry about it already.

So I continued my walk towards the capitol. However, the archer really gets to one's nerves when he spoke.

"Do you have any arrows there?" he asked. I hid my annoyed face with a cheerful one.

"You don't have yours?" I fake smiled. And he bought it.

"I don't have any anymore."

I sighed, "Here." I threw three quivers full of arrows.

"Thanks," he responded as he caught the quivers.

"Can I ask something again?" the archer inquired. I kept my temper and responded with a nod.

"Do you know someone by the name of Armeyer Dinze?"

This person to know something of my past so I responded with, "I am Armeyer Dinze."

The archer seems extremely happy about what I said. He grinned at me widely and asked if he could go with me as I sell my wares.

* * *

We talked to each other as we approached the capitol. This person seems know me, I thought.

"So you lost your memories after that incident huh?" the archer sadly said.

I don't know what he meant by that, I remained silent as he started to talk about the way I was before.

"Let's say, before, you were the only one who supplies me arrows. I was your number one customer before."

"You were always grouchy, as if you hate the world for not buying your wares. But whenever someone buys, your eyes sparkle with delight," he reminisced, smiling at the memory.

"If you have any questions about yourself before that incident, you may ask me right now you know," the archer boasted, he gave me a smug look.

"So, if you do know me, what was the incident that made me lose my memory?" I asked, clearly looking for a clear answer.

"You and I were taken into some lab with mad scientists. They tested us with various solutions, poisons, and many more," he grimly stated, as if he really didn't want to recall the memory.

"Huh?"

"Well, let's say maybe you hated to live that time and forced yourself into unconsciousness, that's what I heard when the prison guards of my cell were talking about," he sighed.

"Don't tell anything about it anymore. I don't want to hear anymore of this nasty history of mine, I like it better this way," I ordered, frowning at what he said.

"Ok, so how's life now?" he asked, smiling at what I said.

"Good business, happy earnings," I stated nonchalantly.

"I'm happy for you, by the way, you can take these quivers," he said, returning the three quivers I gave him a while ago.

I frowned at him as I placed them at my cart then, I asked for his name.

"Kavach, Kavach Icarus," he replied grimly.

"Eh?"

"No… Nothing," he smiled.

We entered the capitol and found everything in chaos; knights were carrying injured people as some priests heal them. Groups of guards ran towards the square.

"Oh my," Kavach said, looking at the injured people around. "They're here!"

Kavach sprinted towards the capitol square and skirted his way.

I was left there dumbfounded and decided to go there too.

* * *

"I'm sorry but this place is off limits miss," the crusader blocking the way said.

"Out of my way!" I ordered furiously at the crusader.

"There has been a couple of kids that broke a bloody branch they got from the black market, so it's been handled by guards," explained the crusader as he placed his heavy shield in front of him to serve as a wall to keep the me from passing through.

I decided to take this seriously. I took out my axe and hurled it into the shield. It didn't break, much to the crusaders joy, but it remained there, stuck at the shield.

I grinned at the crusader for what he did. The axe was hellishy heavy add to his heavy shield. Since the pathway to the square is narrow, and his heavy shield is blocking the way with my axe on it. It would take him moments enough before he could take the shield away.

I climbed the wall by my axe's handle and jumped to the wall's edge and landed at the ground.

With the crusader's armor heavy compared to mine, I could outrun this guy.

After a while, I figured out that the crusader just gave up on me. So, all that's left to do is to sneak towards the square.

* * *

When I reached the square, Kavach was on the ground, motionless. His companions too are on the ground. I ran towards the pained archer and found myself being surrounded by several knights.

"What's this blacksmith doin' here?" one of them asked. His eyes were staring directly at me, intimidating me with fear.

"I-I came to… ummm…look for an archer," I hesitantly replied.

"Huh? An archer? You mean the one there on the ground?" another asked, pointing at Kavach.

"Y-Yeah! That's him!" I responded.

"Are you one of them?" another of them asked.

"N-No."

"Then why are you here?" the first knight asked.

"He forgot something and I have to give it to him."

"Don't bother, he's dead," the third one ordered, beckoning at the other two to bring me outside the scene.

I struggled, trying to escape from their grasp. I just found myself crying for no reason, as if the archer is something special to me.

"Why are you trying to go to the archer? Don't you know he's one of the few who tried to attack the castle," one of them asked, clearly furious at my struggle.

I remained silent as I continue to struggle until a voice from their behind said, "Just let her go there."

The knights turned and immediately bowed and skirted away immediately. Before me was a redhead wizard and a turquoise haired knight.

"Figures," the wizard stated nonchantly; his face looked annoyed.

"Wait, you guys look like the swordswoman and the mage there!" I blurted out pointing at the dead bodies on the ground.

"We, just like you, were victims of what happened seven years ago," the knight explained.

"So, that means you know the archer, Kavach Icarus, yes?" the wizard inquired.

"You know him?" I asked, the tears were no longer coming out.

"No, but I guess you do, just go there and if any asked you who made you go there, say it's Laurell Weinder that made you," he said, gesturing at me to go to the archer.

I smiled at them and bowed deeply before going for it. I don't know why but as I neared the archer, tears were coming out from my eyes again, as if he is something dear to me.

I stopped. I found Kavach on the ground, dying.

"Who's there?" he asked weakly, his eyes not open.

"Me, Armeyer Dinze," I replied, carefully not letting Kavach hear me crying.

"Oh, hey there Armeyer," he smiled weakly, "sorry for what happened a while ago."

"Idiot," I scolded him.

"Maybe this is goodbye."

"Huh?"

"My wish is finally fulfilled," he smiled, though his eyes were closed, tears were coming from it.

"I can leave this world happily."

"What do you mean Kavach?"

"I am like a ghost, I can't simply leave this world unless this 'wish' of mine has been fulfilled so I ran away from the laboratory I was stuck when I found myself a chance. I traveled from Lighthalzen to here just to see you again. So maybe, I can be in peace."

"When I saw you, I thought you were Armeyer and figures, you really are Armeyer," he explained, sounding amused.

I remained silent the whole time, until I can't hear him breathe anymore.

"See… you again… next time… in the… next world."

"Thank… you."

Then, there was nothing.

I buried my face into his chest and cried.

I cried.

I cried.

I cried.

"Sure thing," I smiled in between my sobs.

* * *

Whoa, I updated.

Whoa.

I would like to thank a beta reader of mine who burned me with his flames. Yeah. He said that me first plot was too generic already so I guess this ought to do the trick.

Nothin' much to say this time. Hehe.


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